A woman has spoken of her anguish after her sister was brutally murder by her ex-partner as she left a pub in Bristol over a decade ago.
Darren Osment has been found guilty of murdering Claire Holland following an 11-week trial. Bristol Crown Court heard Osment confessed to the crime on several occasions – including telling an undercover police officer what he had done.
The 41-year-old says he strangles Ms Holland, dismembered her body, and dumped the remains in the River Avon following a drunken argument. Despite extensive police searches, Ms Holland’s body was never recovered.
Ms Holland’s sister Sarah has now spoken about the dreadful impact the crime has had on her family.
Speaking to Avon and Somerset Police, she said: “It’s like a void you can’t fill. You know there’s something missing in your life and you can’t explain.
“Carrying it around is like you’ve got some darkness behind you and you can’t remove it. And you just don’t know what to do to make that darkness bright again.”
Mum-of-four Claire Holland was originally reported missing in 2012, prompting a huge CCTV search from Avon and Somerset Police. But a major breakthrough came in 2019 when Osment called 999 and confessed to the crime, originally saying he paid to have her killed.
He was released under investigation before an undercover officer was deployed in 2020. Over a two-year period, the officer known as Paddy O’Hare managed to film Osment confessing to murdering Claire.
Sarah continued: “The last time I seen Claire she was very happy, she was very bubbly. But she has always been bubbly, she was always bouncy.
“It’s the only way you could describe her really. She was like a little rabbit bouncing around everywhere.”
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Darren Hannant from Avon and Somerset Police, hopes Osment will have to reveal what exactly happened to Claire’s body should he wish to apply for parole in the future. Osment will learn his sentence on December 20.
The officer said: “While we don’t expect Darren Osment to tell us where Claire’s body is, we can only hope the principles of Helen’s Law will prevail.
“This law ensures that criminals who do not disclose the location of the remains of their victim can have this used against them when it comes to applying for parole. We’ll have to wait to see if this materialises, but for the sake of Claire’s family, there remains the hope this will provide them with the information they so desperately need.”
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Darren Hannant
